World War II

Fiction, History, Writers on Writing, Young Adult Fiction

MAR 04: Sharon Cameron with The Light in Hidden Places

March 4, 2020

With World War II Poland as a backdrop, The Light in Hidden Places is based on the extraordinary true story of Stefania Podgorska, a teenage girl who made the choice to hide 13 Jews in the attic, while two Nazis requisitioned the house below them. Author Sharon Cameron took a hands-on approach to her research, stepping foot into the places and experiences of one of the most troubling times in world history. As memories dwindle, Sharon emphasizes the importance of carrying history forward through storytelling, and shares where, how, and why she took creative license in telling this remarkable story.

Sharon Cameron is a multiple award-winning author, and the #1 NYT bestselling author of The Dark Unwinding, A Spark Unseen, Rook, The Forgetting, and The Knowing.

Fiction, Humor, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

MAR 04: Pam Jenoff’s The Lost Girls of Paris & David Morgan’s Monty Python Speaks

February 15, 2019

Many of returning guest Pam Jenoff’s historical novels have been inspired in part by her work in international affairs at the Pentagon and for the State Department. Her latest is set during and right after World War II, exploring the story of a group of young women who risked their lives in the defiance of Nazi oppression. The Lost Girls of Paris is an essential and timeless story of survival, loyalty, and the power of sisterhood.

Pam is a New York Times bestselling author of specializing in historical fiction.

Monty Python Speaks: The Complete Oral History of Monty Python is a no-holds-barred look at the Pythons’ legendary sketches and films, told through interviews with Monty Python’s founding members, actors, producers, and collaborators. Author David Morgan reveals the story behind Spamalot: The Musical, the group’s reaction to their resoundingly successful 2014 reunion, and a touching look at the group without Terry Jones after his 2015 diagnosis of dementia.

David is a senior producer for CBSNews.com, and for CBS’ Emmy Award–winning newsmagazine Sunday Morning. He has written about film production and media issues for such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Hollywood Reporter.

Fiction, Memoir, Social Issues, Writers on Writing

SEP 17: Ellen Keith’s The Dutch Wife & Sara Smarsh’s Heartland

September 10, 2018

Award-winning writer Ellen Keith joins us today to discuss how she found the inspiration for a great historical fiction novel in one of the worst moments of humanity’s history. In The Dutch Wife, she chronicles a little known piece of World War II history, exposing the concentration camp brothels.

Ellen’s work has appeared in publications such as The New Quarterly and The Globe and Mail, and she has received the Anton Fiction Prize and the James Patrick Folinsbee Memorial Scholarship in Creative Writing.

Born a fifth-generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side, and the daughter of generations of teen moms on her maternal side, Sara Smarsh was raised in a family of laborers trapped in a cycle of poverty. In Heartland, she takes an uncompromising look at class, identity, and the perils of having less in a country known for its excess.

Sara has covered socioeconomic class, political, and public policy for numerous publications including Harpers.org, The Guardian, and NewYorker.com. She’s a recent Joan Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard and former professor of nonfiction writing.

Fiction, Non Fiction, Writers on Writing

NOV 06: Manhattan Beach with Pulitzer Winner Jennifer Egan & Technically Wrong with Sara Wachter-Boettcher

October 23, 2017

Set on the Brooklyn docks during the World War II era, Manhattan Beach seamlessly intertwines the stories of a man working for both the union and the mob, his daughter, the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s only female diver, and a shady, but charismatic, nightclub owner.

Jennifer Egan is the author of several novels and a short story collection, including A Visit From the Goon Squad, which won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times book prize.

Also, Sara Wachter-Boettcher presents an informed and compassionate critique of the technology industry in Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech.

Sara Wachter-Boettcher is a Philadelphia-based consultant where she helps organizations make sense of digital content. She speak at conferences worldwide and has authored two previous books for web pros.

MAR 04: Sharon Cameron with The Light in Hidden Places

MAR 04: Pam Jenoff’s The Lost Girls of Paris & David Morgan’s Monty Python Speaks

NOV 06: Manhattan Beach with Pulitzer Winner Jennifer Egan & Technically Wrong with Sara Wachter-Boettcher

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